Quick Takes 5/8/07 – Big Studio Floundering edition

• I’m shocked to read that the wealth of sequels in theaters might be motivated simply by monetary concerns. I thought it was the artistry and the passion. Hmm.
• Again, it’s disconcerting to me to hear speculation that all the TV-show-based movies hitting screens is just a naked attempt to cash in on nostalgia and kitsch.
• Just keep repeating the “blockbusters rule all” mantra over and over to yourself and it might just come true. Of course there’s a place for them, but they should be part of a balanced cinematic diet. Studios also love them because they’re no-brainers to market – you just throw everything at it and don’t worry about targeting.
• Paramount apparently took down the IESB servers because the site had published pics from the Iron Man set. The studio later apologized to the site, saying it was a misunderstanding. Paramount sent no notifications, just had the hosting company take the site down without warning. This is the second such incident involving spy pics and Paramount’s trigger-happy legal department.
• For some unknown reason Warner Bros. is blaming Canada for film piracy and will no longer hold screenings north of the border. Ummm…Canada? Really? I guess it’s easier to do that, though, than stop screenings in New York or Los Angeles, where the majority of piracy reportedly occurs.
• The NYT article I linked to in this MarketingVox story contains a little bit of info on how studios are using mobile as a distribution outlet for movie promotion.
• Yes, as a matter of fact, I think Disney’s decision to move Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to a Thursday evening release is directly related to Spider-Man 3′s record opening weekend.
• More and more 3-D films are being released as studios – and exhibitors – look for ways to prop up their attendance numbers and differentiate themselves from home video and other entertainment options.

Snark to order

RiffTrax – Mystery Science Theater 3000 – TV – New York Times

Thank goodness these guys are still at it in some form or another. The world needs good satire.

Advertising Funny Papers: 5/8/07

Just need to clear out the RSS folder and start fresh.

• Nielsen has partnered with the In-Store Marketing Institute to launch a new in-store measurement program.
• Jim Beam has launched a voluntary initiative that will restrict its advertising to media where at least 75 percent of the audience is over 21 years of age.
• ABC and Cox are working on ad-supported VOD, but with the catch that fast-forwarding of ads will be disabled.
• Chrysler’s new campaign is all about the quality. As opposed to earlier campaigns that emphasized how crappy the cars were.
• Sears’ new campaign is all about the weepy emotional connections with the audience.
• The Cable Advertising Bureau is forming its own division to focus on the creation of a commercial ratings standard. The division will be made up representatives from a number of interested parties.
• Yes, ad-skipping has to be factored into TV commercial buying. Thank you. We know that.
• TV stations are really missing the boosted spending the Olympics brought with them last year.
• ESPN will begin providing sports news and scores to the Gas Station TV network.

What Tom says

tombiro.com » Blog Archive » Dear Greenpeace

If you’re living in denial over the fact that AdJab is no more I’m right there with you. But it’s time to face facts.

Zune 2.0

Podcasting News » New Zune Coming Monday

I was wondering why I was beginning to see a new round of TV spots for the Zune. Turns out Microsoft is introducing a new version of the music player. Unfortunately they’re using the same tired batch of ad with the same “Zune will make your social life so unbelievably better” theme.

Build-a-Bear looks beyond kids

New Build-a-Bear Effort Targets Tweens

Popular mall destination Build-a-Bear is launching a new campaign reaching tweens, a demographic that’s a little older than the chain usually attracts. To do so they’re playing up the idea of fashion. Specifically, new TV spots for the retailer will position the make-them-yourself dolls as the perfect accessory for fashion-conscious tween girls to dress up and mold to their liking.

TV Land reaches out to advertisers

Baby Boomers – Television – Aging – Middle Age – Viacom – New York Times

Cable net TV Land is making its pitch to advertisers by emphasizing how relevant the Baby Boomers who make up its audience still are.  The network is looking to increase ad sales and recently gave a presentation to hundreds of ad execs urging them to reevaluate the common advertising mindset of older people being stuck in their ways and unreachable.

Part of that means training ad workers to ignore “The Demo” – the 18 to 34 year olds everyone thinks are golden – and actually look at buying behavior in other groups. Concentration on “The Demo” can mean two shows with similar audience figures have drastically different ad rates because of the make-up of the audience.

AdAge In 60 Second

• The surest sign of a successful marketing campaign is to change consumer behavior even if those consumers don’t know why exactly they’ve changed their behavior. Such is the case with the meat industry, where people are shelling out bigger bucks for angus without knowing just why.
• Everyone, including Craig Newmark, says newspapers need to band together for national ad sales. Of course this completely ignores the power of local sales but that’s not important.
• Audi is launching a new campaign touting how the technology in their cars actually contributes to the driving experience and isn’t simply confusing and unnecessary.

Advertising Age